~*~*~

Braedey woke up the next morning and got dressed into a denim button-up shirt, blue jeans, black boots and a bullhide hat.

He puts on his Aviator sunglasses and heads for the garage.

Braedey opens the garage door and climbs into Veronica. He turns the key and fires up the engine before heading into town. As Braedey comes into Columbus, he notices some police cars parked by an alleyway. Out of curiosity, Braedey buys a newspaper and finds an article that tells about a murder.

Murderer in Columbus.

A woman was found dead in a dark alleyway at night, with no signs of weapons. The victim was identified as Roxanne. The only clue that could be found was a set of tire tracks. There was no sign of stab or gunshot wounds. If anyone knows about this, they are asked to call police.

Braedey returns to Veronica with the paper.

"This is odd." He said.

"What is?" Veronica asked.

"Apparently there's been a murder. Roxanne was killed last night, and nobody knows who killed her." Braedey answered, as he showed the paper to the radio. "Can you see it?"

"Yes. It certainly is peculiar. No signs of stabbing or even gunshot wounds. Whoever killed Roxanne must've really wanted her dead." Veronica replied.

"Yes. We're gonna have to keep an eye out. That murderer could be anywhere." Braedey said.

He drove to a cafe for breakfast. But as Braedey came to the parking lot, he saw someone he didn't like.

"Oh great. That bastich is back. Veronica, whatever you do, don't listen to these assholes and keep quiet." Braedey said.

"Roger." Veronica replied.

As Braedey parked in a parking space, he walked into the cafe and ordered some takeout. A few minutes later, he came out with a bagel and hot coffee. The group of boys from earlier noticed him, but Braedey didn't pay any attention to them.

The leader of the trio was Douglas, better known as Dagger. He stood 5'9" tall and he was quite muscular. Not as much as Braedey, but Dagger had a pea sized brain and smartass mouth to match. His eyes were emerald green, and his hair was as black as coal. He wore black leather, and sported a mooncrest necklace around his neck.

The second member was Zach, who wore a black hoodie, black denim jeans, and Panther Slip-on shoes. He had blue eyes, and light brown, jaw-length hair.
The third member whose name was Ren was the smart one. Unlike Dagger, Ren prefers to stay out of trouble. However, Dagger forced Ren to join his gang under the threat that Douglas will kill him if he doesn't. Ren sported a solid black t-shirt, blue denim jeans and grey tennis shoes.

"Yo, Martin. What's shakin'? Dagger asked in a friendly tone.

Braedey didn't acknowledge Dagger because he does not trust him. Braedey silently climbs into his car and enjoys his bagel. Dagger didn't like this, but was surprised to see that Braedey had a Ferrari.

"Say, that's a pretty sweet ride. For a pedal car." He said mockingly.

Braedey rolled down his window and flipped Douglas off.

"This "pedal car" can go up to 173 mph. And it has a 0-62 mph time of less than 5 seconds. And it is way better than that hunk of junk Mustang of yours. So shut your face, Dagger." He said.

This made Dagger even angrier. He hates it when someone talks bad about his car. In fact, Dagger hates that even more than his targets ignoring him. He stormed over to Braedey's car with a very intense glare on his face.

"So, you think your pathetic little pedal car is better than my Mustang, huh?" He challenged.

Braedey was not even a little intimidated and glared back.

"Shut up, ass-eyes. I no longer have to listen to you." He said, as he rolled his window back up and drove away.

Dagger scowled as Braedey left.

"Nobody insults my girl, and gets away with it." He said angrily.

As Braedey came to a red light, a yellow 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1 pulled up next to him, with Kickstart My Heart by Motley Crue blaring on radio.

Dagger rolled down his window.

"So, you think that your pathetic pedal car can beat Eleanor? How about a little drag race? Right here, right now, at the next green light?" Dagger demanded.

"¡Déjame en paz, maldito bastardo!" Braedey replied.

Dagger and his crew were surprised.

"What did he just say?" Dagger asked.

"That was Spanish for; Leave me alone, you damn bastard." Ren replied.

Now Dagger was raging mad. If there was one insult that he hates receiving from anyone, it's bastard.

"Oh-no. He did not just call me a bastard." Dagger said angrily.

"I did. And besides, I have better things to do than race an arrogant bastard like you." Braedey replied.

"Aww. Is the little Martin baby scared?" Dagger taunted.

Braedey knew that Dagger would not let up until he gave into his demands. But then he noticed some cops up ahead and gets an idea. So Braedey put his hand on the clutch and shifted the gears into Neutral. Dagger and his crew thought that Braedey was gonna race against Dagger's Mustang. But unbeknownst to them, Braedey shifted into Reverse while they were laughing. As soon as the light turned green, Braedey reversed into a parking space while leaving a cloud of smoke in his wake. Douglas and his crew charged forward, not knowing that Braedey tricked them. Braedey watched as the cops turned on their sirens and gave chase. Dagger continued speeding, until a semi-truck pulled out in front of him, causing Dagger to crash into the trailer and destroy his car.

"I knew that rustbucket wouldn't last a quarter-mile." He said.

"Did you... Do that on purpose?" Veronica asked.

"Of course. That old rustbucket is no match for you, girl. And like I said, I have better things to do than race against a douche-face like him." Braedey answered.

Zach and Ren walked up to Braedey's Ferrari.

"What do you want, assholes?" He asked angrily.

"Easy, man. We didn't want to partake in Dagger's crazy plan. He was just jealous of your Ferrari. And honestly, I think what you did there was a smart move." Zach said.

"Yeah. Unlike Dagger, you noticed that there were some cops up there. So you did the right thing. I can't wait to see the look on his face when Dagger receives proper punishment." Ren replied.

"Perhaps. But I have nothing to say to you two. I'm outta here." Braedey said coldly, as he revved up his engine and high-tailed it home.

~*~*~

Braedey returned home and parked Veronica in the garage.

"You might wanna get some rest. We've had a rough day today. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better." He said.

"What are you gonna do?" Veronica asked.

"I think I'm gonna head upstairs and take a nap. Even avoiding trouble with the police can take it outta ya." Braedey answered.

He went inside and stormed upstairs.

"Are you okay?" Karen asked.

"No. That bastard, Douglas was in town. He tried to get me arrested by challenging me to a street race. He's lucky that I didn't choose to run him over, and believe me, I wanted to turn him into roadkill." Braedey answered.

Karen said nothing as her eyes widened with shock. She knew that Dagger was the biggest troublemaker in Columbus, and would do anything to get his way. Karen also remembered that Dagger used to bully her brother in school, but Braedey always managed to ignore him and restrain himself. However, it seems that he can't hold back for much longer. Because now, it is very clear that Braedey hates Dagger more than anybody in the whole world, and would love to kill him. Braedey went into his room where he hung up his hat, took off his boots and sunglasses before climbing into bed. His anger burned like magma.

'One of these days, Dagger is gonna push me too far, and I'm gonna enjoy the hell out of killing him!' Braedey thought, as he slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Veronica decided that now was a good time to try out one of her new abilities. She can manipulate people's dreams and even make them come true. Which means, she can make someone's worst nightmare become a reality. But for now, she's gonna go for lucid dreams involving Braedey spending romantic time with her, and she hopes that it will help him calm down.

~*~*~
(Inside Braedey's Dream)

Braedey found himself on an isolated island in the Pacific Ocean, alone.

He was in a treehouse by a waterfall.

"Where am I?" Braedey asked.

"You're on a beautiful island. Where there's no laws. And lots of peace and quiet." A male voice said.

Braedey looked at a volleyball with a bloody handprint on it. The handprint appeared to have a face drawn in it. It was a friend that Braedey had created; Wilson.

"What is your point?" He asked.

"I'm saying that this is a beautiful place to live. No one can bother you here. And the only sound that you can hear, is the soothing sound of that waterfall out there. A lot of folks fantasize on having their own private island." Wilson explained.

But Braedey wasn't buying it.

"Well, we might just make it back to Columbus. Did that thought ever cross your brain?" He asked.

"I'm filled with air, man. I have no brain." Wilson answered.

Braedey scowled.

"Well regardless, I would rather take my chance out there in the ocean, than just stay here and die on this island, spending the rest of my life, talking TO A GODDAMN VOLLEYBALL!" Braedey screamed angrily, as he grabbed Wilson in one hand and kicked him out the window with tremendous force.

Wilson went flying far away, until he was too far away for Braedey to see or hear him.

"Shut you up." Braedey mumbled, as he sat on his bed.

But then he looked at the window and stared outside. He couldn't hear Wilson's voice.

"Wilson!" Braedey cried in horror.

He climbs down the ladder and looks out into the jungle.

"Wilson!" Braedey called.

He ran into the jungle, calling out to Wilson.

"Wilson! Wilson!"

Eventually, Braedey found Wilson by the sea.

"Oh! Never again! Never again, never again. You're okay. Are you okay? Yeah." Braedey said, as he scooped up Wilson and ran back to his treehouse.

Back at the treehouse, Braedey was attending to Wilson's injuries and restoring his face with his own blood. Eventually, Wilson looked good as new.

"I know you. I know you. So, are we okay?" Braedey asked.

"Of course, we're okay. You're not used to being in isolation for almost 10 years. So, I can understand that the pressure was getting to ya." Wilson answered.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm not used to being alone for so long. Especially when the only companion I have is a volleyball. I have a friend back home in Columbus who uses his favorite pillow as a companion. But he does it in a much more different way than I do with you. He treats that pillow like it's his girlfriend. I mean, he literally cuddles and kisses it. Hell, he even snuggles with it every night." Braedey replied.

"Dang. Sounds like he's got it rough." Wilson said.

"Yeah, he does. I've overheard him talking to himself when he first got into that habit. He named that pillow Lucy Heartfilia, but he just calls it Lucy. He loves that thing in a manner where he sees it as a real woman. Every time I spent the night at his house, I would see and hear him talking to Lucy. Those two are inseparable, I tell ya. They never stop making out." Braedey replied.

"What's your friend's name?" Wilson asked.

"His name's Jackson." Braedey answered.

Then Braedey heard another voice. It sounded like a girl was singing.

"Shh. Do you hear that?" He asked.

"I sure do. Ya might wanna go check that out." Wilson answered.

Braedey silently climbed down the ladder and went prone. He crawled through the ferns like a tiger stalking its prey. As he peeked his head out from the brush, Braedey saw that there was indeed a girl on the island. She appeared to be giving herself a shower underneath the waterfall. She had blue eyes, and lovely black hair that was styled into a pair of pig-tails. She wore a navy blue bikini. She appeared to be the same age as Braedey.

Braedey carefully backed up into the brush. He couldn't believe that someone else was on the island with him.

"You can come out, Braedey. I know you're there." She said.

Braedey slowly stood up and walked into the lake.

"I don't mean to be rude, but, who are you, and how do you know me?" He asked.

"It's me, Veronica." The young lady answered.

"Veronica?" Braedey asked.

He was shocked to find out that this pretty, young lady was Veronica.

"That's right. You're lovely, blue supercar is here. This is how I looked before I died." Veronica answered, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She was only two inches shorter than Braedey.

Veronica hugged Braedey tightly, pressing her double D-sized bust against his pecs. Braedey blushed and was quite surprised by Veronica's advances, but he hugged her in return. Veronica looks into Braedey's eyes and smiles.

"Let us go somewhere a little more suitable." She said, before changing the scenery to a luxurious hotel room.

Veronica changed her bikini into a pair of black and blue lingerie and brought Braedey into a deep and passionate kiss. Braedey was surprised by this as well, but he gave up on even thinking about resisting her and melted into the kiss as he returned it. After pulling away, Veronica gently pushed him onto the bed and climbed on top of Braedey. Braedey's blush increased as Veronica climbed on top of him and sat on his waist. She traced her fingers along his pectorals, and layed on top of him. Soon, her face was only a few inches away from his own.

"Remember when Dwayne Johnson told you that I was saying that I wanted to be with you?" Veronica asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Braedey replied.

"He was right. I do want to be with you, Braedey. We're meant for each other. And we'll always be together, forever." Veronica answered, as she pressed her lips firmly against Braedey's lips again.

~*~*~

A small blush formed on Braedey's face as he slept soundly. But a casual smile formed as well. Braedey was shocked to see Veronica as a human even though he was only dreaming, but deep within his heart, he knew that she was right. They were meant for each other, and nothing was gonna stop him from bringing Veronica back to life.

~*~*~
Veronica's POV

Braedey's hooked onto me. He's all mine. I will not let any other girl have him. Any girl who even touches him is begging to be run over.